An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

Robert Coles

4 books referenced

Books by Robert Coles

This Sporting Life: Sport and Liberty in England, 1760 to 1960

Referenced in 1 episode

593. The Fight of the Century

August 20, 2025

Context:

This is the guest Professor Robert Coles' book, which is introduced at the beginning when describing him as 'author of the brilliant book' and recommended again at the end of the episode. The Sayers-Heenan fight discussed in the episode has 'a whole chapter' devoted to it in this book

This Sporting Life

Referenced in 1 episode

592. Mad Victorian Sport

August 17, 2025

Context:

Mentioned as a book written by an upcoming guest who will be discussing boxing. The hosts note that Coles makes the point that historians tend to neglect sport or condescend to it when writing about it.

George Orwell, English Rebel

Referenced in 1 episode

208. George Orwell

July 14, 2022

Context:

Introduced as the guest's book - 'whose book, George Orwell, English Rebel, is a brilliant study of Orwell as a writer of Englishness'

Sporting Life

Referenced in 1 episode

33. The Beautiful Game

March 18, 2021

Context:

Dominic references this book which 'came out last year' and quotes from it about sport being 'a major subject' and 'one of England's great civil cultures' to justify football as a worthy subject for historical study.